Genesis 39:13

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:13 Cumque vidisset mulier vestem in manibus suis, et se esse contemptam,

And when the woman saw the garment in her hands, and that she was despised,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 vidisset had seen V.3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT
3 mulier woman NOUN.NOM.SG.F
4 vestem garment / clothing NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 in in / within PREP+ABL
6 manibus hands NOUN.ABL.PL.F
7 suis her own PRON.REFL.ABL.PL.F
8 et and CONJ
9 se herself PRON.REFL.ACC.SG.F
10 esse to be V.INF.PRES.ACT
11 contemptam despised / rejected V.PERF.PTCP.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal-Causal Clause: Cumque vidisset mulier… — subordinate clause introduced by cumque (“and when”), with the pluperfect subjunctive vidisset marking anterior time relative to the following narrative.
Object of Vision: vestem in manibus suis — direct object with prepositional phrase describing location (“the garment in her hands”).
Second Object Clause: et se esse contemptam — indirect statement after verbs of perception, with accusative subject se and infinitive esse, predicate participle contemptam (“that she was despised”).
The construction vividly portrays the moment of realization and humiliation that drives her to retaliation.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: enclitic compound; Function: introduces temporal or causal subordinate clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Adds connective force while marking subordinate time frame.
  2. vidisset — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of perception in subordinate clause; Translation: “had seen”; Notes: Subjunctive used with cum to express prior completed action.
  3. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of vidisset; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to the wife of Potiphar.
  4. vestem — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of vidisset; Translation: “garment / clothing”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s cloak left behind.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Expresses spatial relation.
  6. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Ablative plural from a 4th declension feminine noun.
  7. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: agrees with manibus; Translation: “her own”; Notes: Reinforces personal possession; emphasizes irony of evidence in her hands.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinate objects of vidisset; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two perceptions.
  9. se — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: subject accusative of infinitive in indirect statement; Translation: “herself”; Notes: Refers to Potiphar’s wife as object of perception.
  10. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present infinitive active; Function: infinitive in indirect statement; Translation: “to be”; Notes: Links se and contemptam.
  11. contemptam — Lemma: contemnō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective in indirect statement; Translation: “despised / rejected”; Notes: Denotes the emotional wound of rejection, setting up her act of vengeance.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.